Earth Day - US alone on the Shrinking Ice by LA Times / Reuters / Earth Day Network 2:55pm 22nd Apr, 2006   April 23, 2006    Earth Day: How to Go Green at Home and Work, by Haider Rizvi and Jeffrey Allen. (OneWorld.net)    Devastating storms? Harsh droughts? More diseases? Polluted air and waterways? Contaminated food? Some of the key causes are global warming and a loss of biodiversity caused by humans" excessive use and abuse of the Earth and its resources.    Complex global problems all, so what"s an individual to do?    Environmental researchers and activists in the United States are calling on individual citizens to adopt more sustainable and healthy lifestyles and urging political leaders to begin thinking in terms of a "wartime mobilization" as a gesture of respect for Mother Earth.    "Sustaining progress depends on shifting from a fossil-fuel-based, automobile-centered, throwaway economy to a renewable-energy-based, diversified-transport, reuse/recycle economy," said Earth Policy Institute founder Lester Brown in a statement released ahead of this weekend"s celebration of Earth Day and adapted from his new book Plan B 2.0: Rescuing a Planet Under Stress and a Civilization in Trouble.    "Our twenty-first century civilization is not the first to move onto an economic path that was environmentally unsustainable," said Brown, who the Washington Post has called "one of the world"s most influential thinkers."    As people worldwide observe Earth Day this weekend, two other U.S.-based environmental groups have made a list of "10 things to do" that they believe can effectively contribute to the efforts to recover the planet"s health. (See link below)    "So how can we live lightly on the Earth and save money at the same time?" asks the environmental guide prepared by the Worldwatch Institute, a Washington, DC-based independent think tank, and a youth network for sustainable development called SustainUS.    The first step they suggest is to walk or bike to work and save money on gas. It will improve your cardiovascular health and reduce the risk of obesity. If you live far from your place of work, explore the option of telecommuting or move closer, they say; even if it means paying more rent, it could save money in the long run.    Noting that "purchasing habits have a real impact, for better or worse," the groups recommend buying used furniture, appliances and other items; avoiding bottled water when tap water is clean; and shopping locally whenever possible. Buying from thrift stores, garage sales, and farmers" markets conserves fossil fuels that would otherwise be used for transportation and production costs and bolsters local economies.    A little creativity can go a long way too. According to the groups, making your own cleaning supplies from common household products like soap and vinegar can save money and time and improve your indoor air quality. Composting food scraps can reduce waste and improve your garden, and at birthday and holiday time, think about "gifting green," they say.    Other recommendations include recycling electronics--like cell phones--favoring the library over bookstores, bumping the thermostat up and down at opportune moments, and eating one meatless meal per week.    While Worldwatch and SustainUS focus on what individuals can do, Brown focuses on the need for governments to do more to promote environmentally sustainable lifestyles.    "The good news is that we have the technologies needed to build the new economy," said Brown, saying that the beginnings of change can be seen "in the wind farms of western Europe, the solar rooftops of Japan, the growing fleet of gas-electric hybrid cars in the United States, the reforested mountains of South Korea, and the bicycle friendly streets of Amsterdam."    Citing the vast economic restructuring that took place during World War II, Brown"s statement called for "a wartime mobilization to save the environment and civilization."    The great issue of the current era, according to Brown, is how to move the global economy onto an environmentally sound path.    "The question facing governments is whether they can respond quickly enough to prevent threats from becoming catastrophes....We need a national political leader to step forward, an environmental Churchill, to rally the world around this effort," said Brown.    April 21, 2006    Alone on the Shrinking Ice, by Laurie David. (Los Angeles Times)    This is the most monumental Earth Day since its inception more than 30 years ago because the issue of global warming is finally catapulting toward a tipping point. With the debate firmly behind us, the focus is turning to solutions.    Around the world, countries are finally recognizing the urgent need to deal with global warming. China just mandated stronger fuel economy standards for its vehicles than we have in the United States, and it imposed a tax on gas-guzzling vehicles and disposable wood chopsticks. Brazil has shifted almost half its cars and trucks to ethanol. London imposes a toll on all vehicles entering its congested business district. Sweden is on course to become the world"s first country with an oil-free economy. In Barcelona, 40% of new buildings have hot water courtesy of solar power.    In the United States, the media have begun to recognize the severity of the issue as well and have responded with an explosion of coverage. A recent Time magazine special report on global warming warned: "Be Worried, Be Very Worried." In the last few months, every major broadcast network has investigated the subject, including, to the surprise of many in the environmental movement, a one-hour prime-time special that aired on Fox News last November. Even the Weather Channel has a full-time global warming expert.    Oprah devoted a show to the subject and, as a result of her call to action, efficient, compact fluorescent lightbulbs were sold out at stores across the country. Wal-Mart has since expanded the floor space for and prominence of the bulbs in its stores. Vanity Fair and Elle just published their first green issues, the latter making fashion magazine publishing history by printing on recycled paper. On May 26, former Vice President Al Gore"s film on the subject, "An Inconvenient Truth," will open in movie theaters nationwide.    Membership in environmental groups is at an all-time high. Daily extreme weather events have forced Americans to realize that something is very wrong. The dots are finally being connected, and global warming is fast becoming recognized as the most critical issue of our time.    The only place not feeling the heat is the White House. President Bush has admitted, half-heartedly, that Earth is warming and we are addicted to oil. But acknowledging the problem is only a small first step. Members of his party, including Sens. Richard Lugar of Indiana, Judd Gregg of New Hampshire and John McCain of Arizona, have recognized the urgent need for clean energy solutions that cut oil dependence and curb global warming. The world"s scientists, who are the most cautious human beings on the planet, are saying that we are on a course that must be corrected very quickly; many, including NASA scientist James Hansen, insist that action must be taken in the next 10 years.    But the Bush administration is unmoved. It refuses to consider a mandatory cap on carbon dioxide, though even several coal company executives are asking for such action. It won"t raise auto fuel economy standards, which are hovering at a 20-year low.    Adding insult to injury, it seeks support for its marginalized views and its shameful inaction by rewriting government climate reports to mislead the American public.    As its allies desert it, the administration seems more and more like a polar bear, standing alone on an ever-shrinking block of ice.    (Laurie David is the executive producer of "Too Hot not to Handle," an hour long documentary looking at the effects of global warming on the United States that will air on HBO on the April 22).    April 21, 2006    UN lauds green campaigners as champions, by Neil Chatterjee. (Reuters)    The second year of the U.N. Environmental Program awards, designed to inspire and reward inspirational leadership on environmental issues, lauded life-time work from conflict prevention on waterways to cleaner petrochemical production.    "The biggest challenge is for people to take the environment seriously," said winner Tewolde Gebre Egziabher from Ethiopia, a campaigner against life-form patenting and land degradation. "Talking is easy - implementing policies gets the last priority," he told Reuters.    Another winner Mikhail Gorbachev was not present at the ceremony in Singapore but cannot be said to have ducked controversial stances.    "The big achievement was that he did not hesitate to put his name to complex problems that were regarded as strange issues 20 years ago -- he stopped attempts to divert great Russian rivers and stopped exploitation of the Aral Sea," said Alexander Likhotal, standing in for the former leader.    Other winners included Tommy Koh of Singapore for chairing the U.N. Earth Summit and negotiations on sea law, Cuba"s Rosa Elena Simeon Negrin for championing small island development states, Iran"s Massoumeh Ebtekar for work on industrial pollution and the U.S.-based Women"s Environment and Development Organization.    Winner Mohamed El-Ashry from Egypt, former CEO of the multi-billion-dollar fund Global Environment Facility that became the largest source of environment funding aimed at developing countries, said this was now facing a funding shortfall as the U.S. had cut its contribution by a half for the next four years.    "There"s a burden-sharing arrangement so it is politically difficult for others not to follow," he told Reuters in an interview, adding negotiations were ongoing. "Developing countries have an important role to contribute on environmental problems but their priority is poverty alleviation."    He said the biggest environmental problem facing the world was climate change. He urged the public to push governments into action and to create green markets spurred by commitments and timetables such as under the U.N. Kyoto Protocol.    "The answer lies in energy -- we need a sustainable plan and a carbon-limited approach. We need a major push on renewables, there"s huge potential for energy efficiency in developing countries, not to mention clean coal."    He said there were encouraging signs from the corporate community, pointing to firms such as BP on renewables, General Electric on energy efficient appliances and Toyota on hybrid cars.    "These firms are not doing it because they want to be green -- they see money. This is the smart corporate mentality that is looking ahead," El-Ashry said.    Climate Change Solutions: What You can Do Right Now. (Earth Day Network)    The threat of global warming hangs over our planet like a storm cloud. If not checked soon, it could some day soon cause untold – possibly irreparable – harm to our planet"s ecosystem, triggering: severe weather changes; threats to our food and water supplies; rising sea levels; glacier melting; endangerment of thousands of plant and animal species; the spread of deadly diseases.    But there is good news. The world now recognizes the problem. Many Governments around the globe are beginning to take action to cap carbon dioxide emissions (which account for more than half of the greenhouse gases that trap the sun"s heat inside the earth"s atmosphere), set meaningful targets for fuel-efficient cars and offer incentives for green buildings.    The U.S. government, unfortunately, has not led the debate on climate change solutions, and has been slow to embrace significant change in these big areas. In short, the U.S. government either says the threat isn"t real – despite almost unanimity among scientists that the threat is real and imminent -- or that dealing with it will harm the economy.    The U.S. government has refused to sign the Kyoto Protocol most of the nations of the world have signed in order to set mandatory caps on CO2. And the U.S. has refused to set meaningful fuel-efficiency standards for cars. These are two of the biggest, most important actions the U.S. government can – but won"t – take to save our planet.    But that doesn"t mean you can"t do something – right now – and make a difference.    Because here"s the truth. If just a third of us take a handful of meaningful actions in our daily lives to conserve energy – thereby conserving fossil fuels – we stand a good chance of reducing our nation"s emissions to the targets set for the United States by the Kyoto Protocol the U.S. government refuses to sign.    That"s right. Us. If a third of us in the US agree to stand against the gravest threat in human history, and decide to do our part in a systematic way, then we can do collectively what our elected leaders refuse to consider.    What"s more, many of the ideas that we"ll describe can also save us money. That helps the economy – countering one of the main reasons the U.S. government has refused to act on significant climate change solutions.    So what should we do? Our Top 10 Action list can apply to individuals, organizations and businesses. There are dozens more where these come from, but this should get you started. Take a look through the ones that make sense for you right now, and begin your own, personal journey with the rest of us to save the earth we live on. The time to act is now. We can make a difference.    About Earth Day Network - Founded by the organizers of the first Earth Day in 1970, Earth Day Network (EDN) promotes environmental citizenship and year round progressive action worldwide. Through the Earth Day Network, activists connect, interact, and impact their communities, and create positive change in local, national, and global policies. EDN"s international network reaches over 12,000 organizations in 174 countries, while the domestic program keeps over 3,000 groups and over 100,000 educators coordinating millions of community development and environmental protection activities throughout the year. As a result, Earth Day is the only event celebrated simultaneously around the globe by people of all backgrounds, faiths and nationalities. More than a half billion people participate in our campaigns every year.    UPDATE    May 3, 2006    U.S. Mayors Respond to Washington Leadership Vacuum on Climate Change, by Janet Larsen. (Earth Policy Institute)    Recognizing that global warming may fast be approaching the point of no return and that the world cannot wait for the U.S. government to act, hundreds of U.S. city mayors have pledged to cut emissions of greenhouse gases. By signing the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, these mayors—representing some 44 million Americans—have committed their cities to meet or beat the U.S. emissions reduction target in the Kyoto Protocol, despite the federal government’s refusal to ratify that treaty.    This grassroots political revolution, spearheaded by Greg Nickels, Mayor of Seattle, Washington, and endorsed by the U.S. Conference of Mayors, responds to the mounting concerns of the American people. It calls for reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 7 percent below 1990 levels by 2012. As Burlington, Vermont, Mayor Peter Clavelle noted: “We can"t wait for this vacuum of leadership to fill.”    Since February 16, 2005, the date the Kyoto Protocol came into effect for the 141 countries that ratified it, 227 U.S. cities have joined the mayors’ agreement, including New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago, the three largest cities. The Northeast, the Great Lakes Region, and the West Coast are particularly well represented, and the list keeps growing.    The group includes both communities with an eye on global problems and those concerned about climate-related impacts closer to home. For example, a dozen coastal Florida cities that risk destruction from storms and rising seas have signed on. Mayor Ray Nagin noted a similar concern when adding New Orleans to the agreement, stating that “the rise of the Earth"s temperature, causing sea level increases that could add up to one foot [30.5 centimeters] over the next 30 years, threatens the very existence of New Orleans”—and this was before Hurricane Katrina.    The cities’ action plans vary in both content and completeness, but the common refrains include increasing automobile efficiency, improving public transportation systems, curbing sprawl, and encouraging walking and cycling. The plans emphasize using and generating electricity more efficiently, with renewable energy sources playing a prominent role.    Seattle’s pledge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions translates into an annual cut of 683,000 tons, the equivalent of retiring some 148,000 cars each year. In March 2006, the Mayor’s Green Ribbon Commission made numerous recommendations on how to achieve this goal. The local role model is the municipal government, which has already slashed carbon emissions from city operations to more than 60 percent below 1990 levels. This was achieved in part by switching a share of the government fleet to hybrid-electric vehicles. By cutting fleet fuel use by 7 percent between 1999 and 2005, the city saved at least $300,000 a year.    Seattle City Light became the nation’s first major electric utility to achieve zero net greenhouse gas emissions in 2005 through a combination of energy conservation, renewable energy (principally hydropower), and offsets for the remaining emissions. To capitalize on this success, the Green Ribbon Commission recommends improving energy efficiency in buildings and requiring new housing to be energy-efficient.    For Seattle as a whole, the city’s 400,000 registered vehicles are the number one local producer of greenhouse gases. The commission suggests a number of ways to reduce automobile dependence: Broaden the availability of “frequent, reliable, and convenient public transportation,” which could be funded in part by new regional toll roads and a new commercial parking tax. Encourage car sharing. Add bike lanes and trails, improve sidewalks and crossings, and develop “compact, green, urban neighborhoods” built for people, not cars. With the average Seattleite spending more than one work week sitting in traffic each year, such measures have the benefit of greatly enhancing residents’ quality of life.    To reduce carbon emissions from vehicles still on the road, the commission supports tailpipe limits on car pollution (as now required under the California “clean car standards” adopted by Washington State in 2005) and greater use of biofuels. Cutting emissions from diesel trucks, trains, and ships also improves local air quality, leading to fewer cases of asthma and respiratory disease.    Suggestions to move beyond the Kyoto goals include using rooftop solar energy systems and heat pump water heaters. Other innovations that make the Seattle commission’s list are pay-as-you-drive insurance to discourage unnecessary driving, and plug-in hybrid-electric vehicles that for short trips can run on electricity, preferably produced by renewable sources—virtually an 80+ mile-per-gallon car.    Of the other cities signed on to the Mayors Agreement, Portland, Oregon, has one of the most advanced plans for change. In 1993 Portland became the first U.S. city to develop a global warming action plan. Now, together with the rest of Multnomah County, Portland aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions to 10 percent below 1990 levels by 2010. Had Multnomah County continued with business as usual, today it would be emitting more than 12 million tons of carbon dioxide; because of its deliberate action to reduce greenhouse gases, however, the latest tally shows emissions have fallen to 9.7 million tons—just 1 percent above 1990 levels.    Portland has managed to increase public transit use by 75 percent since 1990. This was aided in part by the addition of new major light rail lines and the 2001 reinstatement of a central city streetcar, a throwback to the old trolley system that had been supplanted by polluting diesel buses and personal automobiles. City workers receive monthly bus passes or free car pool parking, and businesses that subsidize employee parking are encouraged to subsidize public transit commutes as well. Portland also has 267 miles (430 kilometers) of bikeways, which it hopes to double within 10 years.    In 2002, Multnomah County established energy efficiency standards for “lighting, heating and cooling, appliances, and personal computers.” Throughout Portland, traffic signals have been converted to LED (light-emitting diode) bulbs that cut energy use by a whopping 80 percent, saving the city more than $500,000 each year in energy and maintenance costs. And the city is investigating the possibility of powering all its facilities completely with wind energy.    Elsewhere, city and county office buildings in Salt Lake City, Utah, have removed inefficient incandescent light bulbs in favor of compact fluorescents that use a third of the energy and last up to 10 times longer. In chilly St. Paul, Minnesota, an efficient combined heat and power system warms most downtown buildings. In Washington, DC, 414 diesel buses have been replaced with ones that burn cleaner compressed natural gas. And Austin, Texas, is quickly turning to wind and solar power to reach its goal of meeting 20 percent of its energy needs from renewable sources and 15 percent through energy efficiency improvements by 2020.    Response to the Washington climate action void is not limited to cities. States and businesses also are taking part. The challenge now is to multiply these initiatives and take them farther. With the U.S. making up 5 percent of the global population but responsible for a quarter of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, there is no substitute for leadership from the top.    Click on the link below to visit the Earth Day Network Climate Change Solutions: What You Can Do Right Now. Visit the related web page
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